What do you get for winning the U.S. Open? Quite a bit actually. Money, fame, a big trophy. And so many invitations.
The first thing that comes to mind is the payday. The total purse at the national championship is the highest in pro golf: $12.5 million. The winner in 2021 will take home approximately $2.25 million. That’s the biggest payout to the winner of any of the four majors this year—and second in golf only to the $2.7 million Justin Thomas won at the Players Championship.
But winning a U.S. Open means much more than making a large deposit with a lot of zeroes into your bank account.
The winner also takes home, for one year, the U.S. Open Championship Trophy. Yes, that’s the official name of it. And actually, the winner takes possession of the 1986 full-scale replica trophy. The original stays on display at the USGA Golf Museum in Liberty Corner, New Jersey.
The winner also gets a gold medal, as has been the case every year since 1895 when Horace Rawlins got one first. In 2012, the USGA renamed it the Jack Nicklaus medal.
Want more for your win?
How about:
- Exemption to the U.S. Open for the next 10 years
- Invitation to the next five Masters Tournaments
- Invitation to the next five Open Championships
- Invitation to the next five PGA Championships
- Invitation to the next five Players Championships
- Exempt status on the PGA Tour for five years
Life-changing stuff, to be sure. Oh, and the winner also earns 600 FedEx Cup points.